The Absurdity of Branding the British Flag as Hate Speech, By Richard Miller (Londonistan)

 If Winston Churchill were alive today, he might warn of an "icon curtain" descending across Brighton, London, and Newcastle, where the St. George's Cross and Union Jack, symbols of British identity, are torn down as hate speech, while foreign flags fly unmolested. The UK, once a bastion of free expression, seems to be using 1984 as a playbook, silencing patriots under the guise of public safety. As reported by The European Conservative on August 25, 2025, councils like Birmingham's Labour-run authority are racing to remove these flags, citing "health and safety" risks, while allowing Palestinian flags to wave freely in a city nearly 30% Muslim. This selective enforcement, coupled with leaked emails revealing councils' fear of removing foreign flags without police protection, exposes a cultural double standard. The claim that British flags are hate symbols is not just absurd, it's a dangerous precedent. If Right-wingers used public restrooms, would those be banned too? Let's unpack this Orwellian farce.

The controversy stems from "Operation Raise the Colours," a grassroots movement started in Birmingham's Weoley Castle and Northfield suburbs, spreading to Norwich, Bradford, Newcastle, Swindon, and London by August 2025. Patriots, organised online, have hung St. George's Crosses and Union Jacks on lampposts, painted them on roundabouts, and displayed them from homes, asserting national pride. A Telegraph report on August 23, 2025, notes 50,000 flags sold in three days, reflecting public enthusiasm. Yet, councils like Birmingham and Tower Hamlets swiftly removed them, claiming safety risks, flags allegedly "weaken" lampposts, endangering pedestrians! The Independent (August 19, 2025) cites Birmingham's removal of 200 flags during LED streetlight upgrades, framing it as routine maintenance.

The hypocrisy is glaring. The European Conservative highlights Birmingham's inaction on Palestinian flags since October 7, 2023, despite their prominence in Muslim-majority areas. Leaked emails, reported by @TheGriftReport on X (August 16, 2025), reveal council fears of removing these flags without police backup, while St. George's Crosses are dismantled with zeal. The same council lit its library in Pakistan's colours for Independence Day, as noted by @_HenryBolton on X (August 14, 2025). This double standard fuels accusations of anti-British bias, with @CPhilpOfficial (August 18, 2025) arguing that councils tolerate foreign flags but demonise national ones.

Labelling the St. George's Cross as hate speech is a recent phenomenon, tied to its use in far-Right protests, per The Guardian (August 20, 2025). Groups like Britain First and Tommy Robinson's supporters, have backed Operation Raise the Colours, raising fears of anti-immigrant motives, especially after 2024's Southport riots where flags appeared alongside anti-migrant criticism. Kehinde Andrews, in The Independent (August 22, 2025), argues the flag's association with racism dates to the 1950s, when it was wielded against Windrush immigrants, symbolising "white Englishness." Anti-racist groups like Hope Not Hate link the campaign to far-Right agendas, citing its overlap with protests outside asylum-seeker hotels.

Yet, equating a national flag with hate speech is a leap. A 2024 YouGov survey found 66% of Britons view the St. George's Cross as a symbol of pride, not prejudice. The flag's history, tied to a 3rd-century saint, predates modern politics, representing England across diverse communities, as seen in British Pakistani support during the 2002 World Cup (The Independent, August 22, 2025). Prime Minister Keir Starmer's spokesman, per The Guardian (August 20, 2025), affirmed the flag's patriotic value, distancing it from hate. The Geller Report (August 25, 2025) calls the hate speech label "bizarre," arguing it criminalises identity itself.

To expose this absurdity, consider a parallel: if Right-wingers used public restrooms, would councils ban them as hate symbols? The logic mirrors the flag controversy. Restrooms, like flags, are neutral infrastructure, used by all. If a group's association taints a flag, why not a restroom? Both are public goods, yet banning either for ideological reasons is ludicrous. UK hate speech laws, under the Public Order Act 1986, target expressions "threatening or abusive" with intent to "harass, alarm, or distress" (Wikipedia, 2010). Flying a national flag, even by far-Right groups, rarely meets this threshold, unlike, say, Nazi flags outside synagogues, which are prosecutable (Express, August 21, 2025). Birmingham's "safety" excuse, debunked by former police investigator Hayley Owens (BBC, August 15, 2025), mirrors the hypothetical restroom ban: a pretext to suppress symbols tied to a disfavoured group.

This reductio reveals the flaw. Flags don't cause division ; selective enforcement does. The Telegraph (August 23, 2025) notes Palestinian flags as "territorial markers" in Muslim areas, yet councils hesitate to act, fearing unrest. This cowardice, not the St. George's Cross, fuels tension. Banning restrooms because extremists use them would be laughed off; banning flags should be too.

Churchill's "icon curtain" looms when councils prioritise foreign symbols over national ones, chilling free expression. The Online Safety Act 2023, per CSMonitor (August 28, 2024), mandates removing "hateful" online content, but vague definitions risk overreach. A 2023 GOV.UK report notes a 5% drop in hate crimes, suggesting no epidemic justifies flag bans. Yet, councils' actions echo 1984's thought police, where symbols of identity are erased to control narratives. The European Conservative's claim of a "crashed" UK needing a "reboot" resonates when patriotism is pathologised.

The St. George's Cross isn't hate speech; it's a symbol of a nation that deserves pride, not shame. Councils must apply rules consistently, remove all unauthorized flags or none. The public agrees: @RafHM on X (August 26, 2025) calls the flag's revival a sign "the English have had enough." The absurdity of equating flags to hate, like banning restrooms for their users, exposes a deeper issue: a state more afraid of its own people than of division.

https://gellerreport.com/2025/08/uk-has-fallen-the-flag-of-england-is-now-considered-hate-speech.html/

 

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Friday, 29 August 2025

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